The San Damiano Cross and the Blue Cross – Call and Response
While unable to record this week's homily due to travel for the OFS, Fr. Christopher Panagoplos, TOR, offers us a way to reflect on the call and the response of St. Francis.
We Are Called To Renewal
This passage from St. Paul (Rom12:2), notes three levels of adherence to God’s will: good, acceptable and perfect. Initially there is a minimum of following Christ which is solely good (not evil). Next we have acceptability which reflects a little higher adherence but still withholds total commitment and finally, there is perfection; for those who are fully committed to follow Christ and to become transformed by Him. It is a renunciation of self and desires, with a total intention of living for Christ in this world.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – Corpus Christi – Fr. Christopher
The Church, as Mother and Teacher of the faith, has given all believers, in these days of Eucharistic Revival, the opportunity to reflect deeply on the Eucharist, to be concerned what happens on the Altar and what should be happening in the hearts of those around the Altar. We need to reflect and understand that we are the Body of Christ, receiving Christ’s body.
Reflect on the Sacred Heart
In my home, visitors see religious articles throughout. These include a crucifix by the entrance of most of our rooms. My office has all my Franciscan images along with my framed profession certificate. In our primary bedroom, we have a collage of religious art across from the chairs where I often sit to pray.
The Gift of Greccio
(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Spring 2024 Digital Issue #111)
by Patrick Martin, OFS National Centenary Task Force
According to the American Museum of Natural History, two thousand years ago our planet’s population was about 170 million souls (a far cry from today’s population of about 8 billion). […]
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – Trinity Sunday – Fr. Christopher
The Father is Lover, loving the Son into being. The Son then is the Beloved of the Father, and the Spirit is the Love that binds them. It is from this love that everything else comes.
And after the Lord gave me some brothers
For St. Francis, living “according to the pattern of the Holy Gospel” was physical and sacramental. One of its signal characteristics would be its communal nature. Modeled on the example of Jesus and the apostles, it would be a community of brothers who would “give themselves to honest work,” living a life of poverty in the world “as pilgrims and strangers.” In this and the other ways in which the Franciscan movement would take shape—St. Clare’s cloistered Poor Ladies or the secular Brothers and Sisters of Penance—the paradigm of Franciscan life would be fraternity.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – Pentecost Sunday – Fr. Christopher
. Today, Pentecost Sunday, Easter’s 50th day, we pray for a fresh stirring of the gifts of the Spirit so that we can fulfill our mission to witness Jesus to others in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Taking Action for Renewal
Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation is meant to be more than a list of topics. It is a model to show how our life in the Rule brings about conversion, and how our actions are its fruit. We practice contemplative prayer, we reflect on our Gospel call, experience conversion, and apply it to this age and place. In our work, in our family life, in the parish and in our fraternities, we are a people of renewal.
The Gospel Through a Franciscan Lens – 7th Sunday of Easter – Fr. Christopher
Jesus consecrates us in truth, in God’s word, and His own word to us. We bring His Name and His Word to places where the great drama of life is played out. A new way of encounter, with the possibility of life-giving hope, for the sanctification of a wounded humanity.